Bound by Tears (Cauld Ane Book 6)

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  “That’s actually really cool,” Jesska said.

  “I hope so. If it sucks, Marc and I’ll just make out in the back row.” Amanda grinned. “Anyway, thanks again. I’ll text you when I get home.”

  “Sounds good. Hey, thanks, Winky. Seriously.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you too.” Jesska hugged Amanda and watched her walk to her car before closing and locking the door. She was exceedingly grateful to her best friend as she fell asleep relatively quickly.

  * * *

  Thursday morning Jesska sat in her boss’s office and went over the proxy filings in front of her. An executive assistant for a high-powered human resources benefits guru, she was still trying to figure out what she wanted out of life. For now, however, she sat staring at the verbiage only people far smarter than she understood swimming before her.

  Or it could be that babysitting her surrogate niece had worn her out. Kiana loved coming to Auntie Jess’s house, and made Amanda pack a small suitcase with all manner of outfits for them to play dress-up. Jesska was convinced Kiana would one day be a writer… her storytelling unmatched by most adults.

  For now, however, Jesska was required to pull the relevant information from the documents for her boss by noon, and her eyes were starting to cross with the tedium of it all. She hated her job most days, but she lived with it because she needed the money. And, if she was being honest, she pretty much hated her life as well. Why should her job be any different?

  “Aha,” she breathed, locating the company information she needed. Maybe she was starting to understand some of this gibberish after all. She highlighted her findings, made a neat pile for her boss to go through, and headed back to her own desk.

  “Hey, Jess.” Her coworker, Kim, peeked over the partition. “Ready for lunch?”

  Jesska nodded. “Yep. Just let me check my e-mail, and then I’ll be all set.”

  Kim sat back down at her desk and Jesska opened her e-mail just as her phone rang. Without taking her eyes from the screen, she answered it. “This is Jess.”

  “Ah, Jessie Shane?”

  Only Megan called her “Jessie.”

  “Yes, this is Jessie.” She took a second to check the caller ID, but it didn’t give any helpful information.

  An older woman’s voice said, “Miss Shane, your sister and niece have been in a motor vehicle accident, and you’re in her phone as an emergency contact.”

  “What happened? Are they okay?” Jesska stood and grabbed her purse.

  “That’s all I can tell you right now. I’m sorry.”

  “Okay, where are they? I’ll be right there.”

  “Legacy Emanuel. ICU.”

  “Ah, thanks,” she said, and hung up the phone. “Kim, my sister and niece have been hurt. I have to go.”

  “Is she okay?” Kim asked, popping her head over the cubicle again.

  Jesska grabbed her jacket. “I have no idea. Can you let Tim know? I’ll call as soon as I know anything.”

  She rushed down to her car and sped out of the parking garage a little faster than she probably should have, hitting Naito Parkway and heading to the freeway. “Call Dad,” she ordered her hands-free system. The call went to voice mail, so Jesska left a message and tried her mother. “Call Mom.”

  No luck there either, so she left a message just as she arrived at the hospital entrance. She sent up a silent prayer to the traffic gods and hunted for a parking space.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Bíldudalur, Iceland

  KASPAR BALDURSSON WAVED his hand, catching the book that came flying from the top shelf, and sat in one of the library chairs facing the large bay window in his home. He didn’t really know why he’d grabbed the book; he doubted he’d be able to focus enough to read it anyway.

  He stared out the large bay window at the great expanse of snow covering the ground. Winter lasted much longer in his remote corner of the world, which suited him just fine. He’d lived in the tiny fishing village for longer than most people could fathom, and he wouldn’t live anywhere else.

  A knock at the door brought his youngest brother, Gunnar. Their middle brother, Ari, had disappeared, and no one had heard from him for more than a week. Not wholly unusual, but for whatever reason, this time Kaspar was worried.

  “Any news?” he asked, and laid the book on the table next to the chair, standing to face his brother.

  Gunnar shook his head. “Nothing. He’s just gone.”

  “And he’s not at his apartment?”

  “His man said Ari hasn’t been there for several days.”

  Kaspar sighed. “Well, he can’t just be gone, Gunnar. Still, it’s not like he hasn’t done this before. He heads out somewhere, sees a shiny object and follows it, but usually we’re able to reach him.”

  Ari was notoriously easy to distract, and with unlimited money from his sometimes creative business dealings, he could afford to do whatever he liked. He didn’t answer to anyone, which occasionally meant he’d disappear for a while, remembering too late to let his brothers know where he was.

  Gunnar chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.”

  “Have you looked into these allegations against him?”

  “That he refused to pay some kind of extortion money?” Gunnar snorted. “You’re not seriously going to listen to some woman who’s angry that he won’t give her money, are you? Whatever she has to say will be a lie. Just another way to get his money.”

  “Are you sure that’s it? Have you looked into her claims?” he asked again.

  “No, I haven’t looked into them.”

  “Well, I have.”

  “Why, Kaspar? The allegations are unfounded. She’s a gold digger.”

  “She hasn’t asked for anything. Not one aurar,” Kaspar countered.

  “She will. They always do.”

  “What do you mean, they always do?” Kaspar leaned forward in an attempt to intimidate Gunnar. His brother pressed his lips into a thin line. “Gunnar.”

  Gunnar crossed his arms. “This is not the first woman who has demanded money not to ‘out’ the actions of our brother.”

  “What?” Kaspar frowned. “This has happened before? When?”

  “Ages ago, brother.” Gunnar waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not even worth mentioning.”

  Kaspar dragged his hands down his face. “Why have you kept this from me?”

  Gunnar chuckled and then grew serious again. “Kaspar, you’re never here. At least, not in the sense of what the people expect. You sit on your gilded throne, where you hear nothing, and you think everything’s fine.”

  “Are you saying I’m out of touch?”

  “A bit, yes,” Gunnar said. “But no more than you usually are.”

  Kaspar swore. His brother was right. He’d been out of sorts for a long time. “I apologize.”

  “You don’t need to,” Gunnar insisted. “This is what I’m trying to say. We have it handled.”

  “I don’t think you do,” Kaspar challenged.

  Gunnar shook his head. “Fine. If you think you can do better, what is your proposal?”

  “I’m going to come with you into town tomorrow and speak with the woman personally.”

  “Does that mean you’re coming down from the gilded throne?”

  Kaspar shook his head. “Look, I understand that I’ve been a little hands-off lately, but I will endeavor to make changes to rectify that. Will that suffice?”

  Gunnar bowed low. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  Kaspar flicked his hand, sending a book flying toward his brother’s head. Gunnar was obviously ready for the assault, and he stepped aside before being hit.

  “I’ll be ready to go at nine. I’ll be sure the woman is available.”

  “Thank you,” Kaspar said, and effectively dismissed his brother.

  CHAPTER THREE

  JESSKA RUSHED INTO the hospital and straight to the ICU. Memories flooded her heart and mind as she made her way to the all-too-familiar section of the hospit
al. She arrived to chaos. Her father paced the floor and her mother had her phone to her ear, so Jesska made her way to her father.

  “Any updates?” she asked.

  “No,” he said, giving her a quick hug. “We don’t even know what happened.”

  Jesska felt the energy in the room change and turned to see her half-brother rush into the waiting area.

  “What happened?” Cameron demanded.

  “We don’t know, Son,” their father said.

  A nurse walked into the waiting area. “Cameron Shane?”

  “That’s me,” Cameron said.

  “Your sister is asking for you.”

  “Can we see her?” Jesska asked.

  The nurse shook her head. “Right now, Megan has asked to speak with Cameron alone. But you’ll be able to talk to her shortly.”

  Cameron squeezed Jesska’s hand and followed the nurse through the automatic doors. Jesska frowned and turned back to her parents. Her father held his hand out to her and grimaced, although Jesska was sure he was trying to smile. “Why just Cam?”

  “I don’t know, honey,” he said.

  She grabbed for the ring around her neck, as she often did when feeling anxious. Brady would help her. He always did.

  Her mother finally got off her phone and joined the family. Cameron didn’t return for close to an hour. By the time he walked through the automatic doors again, Jesska had bitten her fingernails down to their nubs. She’d even managed to draw blood. She rushed him, her parents close behind. “Is she okay? Can we see her? How’s Sophia?”

  Cameron reached for her hand. “Sophia’s in surgery. We’ll be able to see her when she’s in recovery. The prognosis is good, though.”

  “What about Megan, can we see her?”

  Cameron nodded. “Yes, in just a bit. The nurse will come find you. I have to go.”

  “What?” Jesska snapped. “Where?”

  He squeezed her chin gently. “You are always so inquisitive.”

  She tugged her face away. “And you’re always so vague.”

  Cameron smiled. “I love you, Messka.” He pulled their father aside, spoke to him briefly, and was out the door before Jesska could object.

  “Shane family?” a woman’s voice called out.

  “Yes,” Jesska said, as she faced the nurse.

  “You can see Megan now.”

  Jesska followed the nurse, leading her parents down the hall and into a private room. She noticed a uniformed officer standing outside the door and frowned when he insisted on checking their IDs. On the one hand, she was grateful they were a diligent hospital, but on the other hand, she didn’t want to waste time being vetted by some hired badge. She wanted to see her sister.

  “Go on in, miss,” the officer said, and Jesska pushed open the door.

  She bit her lip as she rushed to her sister’s side. Megan looked so small in the giant bed. Her arm and head were wrapped with bandages and she had an IV set up above her. Jesska watched the liquid dripping slowly through the tubing.

  “Hey, Jessie,” Megan rasped. “Do you know anything about Sophia?”

  “All I know is that she’s in surgery.” Jesska gently linked her fingers with Megan’s and kissed her cheek. “What happened?”

  “Can you find a doctor, please? I need to know about Sophia.”

  “I’ll take care of that,” their father said, and left the room.

  “Tell me what happened,” Jesska said.

  “A car spun out of control and hit us, pushing us into the median divide.” She raised her broken arm. “This happened when I was trying to get Sophia loose. Her seatbelt jammed and another car bumped us. I was in the worst position, I guess. I have to have a CT done on my arm and leg to see if I need surgery.”

  “How’s your head?” Jesska asked.

  “I got a nasty scalp laceration and a bit of a bump, but they think I’m okay. They’re watching for concussion.” Megan closed her eyes for a few seconds.

  “Are you in pain?”

  “A little.” Megan pushed herself up when their father walked back into the room. “Any news on Soph?”

  “She’s almost out of surgery,” he said. “A doctor will be here soon to fill you in.”

  Megan sat back. “Okay.”

  Jesska said. “How are you so calm?”

  “Oh, sissy, I’m not. Although I’m on some pretty heavy pain meds. I’m trying to hold it together so I don’t freak you guys out more than necessary.”

  “Well, freak out,” Jesska ordered. “It’s what we’re here for.”

  Megan nodded, glancing toward their father. “Dad, can I talk to you about something?”

  “Of course, honey.”

  “Privately, please?” Megan said.

  “What? Seriously?” Jesska ground out. “What’s going on? Cam’s acting all weird and secretive, now you are? What aren’t you telling us?”

  “Jessie,” Megan said with a sigh.

  “No, Megan. What’s going on?” Jesska forced back tears, her fingers reaching for Brady’s ring at her throat. “You’re not telling me something. It’s bad enough you could have been killed today, but now I feel like you’re keeping something from me that maybe I should know.”

  “Have a seat,” Megan said, and Jesska sat in the chair beside her. “I got a call from an ADA down at the Multnomah Courthouse. Jason’s attorney has discovered some legal technicality in his case, so they are going to release him.”

  “What? No, that can’t be right.”

  Megan nodded. “The DA has promised he’s going to retry him, but for some reason, they can’t keep him in prison. Cameron went to the courthouse to find out what’s going on and why Jason’s being let out instead of being held until the new trial can be set. He’s got access to more information than I do.”

  “Do the Kings know?”

  “I would think they would,” her father said. “They’re on the victim’s contact list, so someone would have called them.”

  “I should go over there tonight.”

  “Do you think that’s wise?” Megan asked.

  “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “No reason,” their father said, sending Megan a look Jesska couldn’t quite decipher.

  A nurse entered the room and smiled. “Miss Bailey, I’m here to take you down to radiology.”

  “Have you heard anything about my daughter, Sophia?” Megan asked.

  “She’s still in surgery. But don’t worry, your X-rays will be quick. You’ll be back before you know it.”

  Megan nodded and the nurse unlocked the brakes on her bed and wheeled her out of the room. Jesska sat by the window to wait for her to return.

  Her father sat next to her, taking her hand. “How are you, honey? We haven’t seen you in a few weeks.”

  Jesska forced a smile. “I know, Dad. I’ve been busy.”

  “But not so busy you can’t have dinner with the Kings every night.”

  She pulled her hand from his. “It’s not every night.”

  “Well, it’s certainly a hell of a lot more time than you’re spending with us.”

  “Dad, don’t start, okay?”

  He frowned. “At some point you have to move on.”

  Jesska stood, trying to gain some distance. “I have moved on.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, I do. And you lost the right to tell me what to do ten years ago.”

  “I’m still your father, Jess,” he said, sadly.

  “Well, for the last time, let me spell it out for you. I know you want me to find some nice church guy and settle down. But what you fail to see is that I had my one true love, and God took him away from me.”

  “He doesn’t need to go to church, honey. He just needs to treat you right.”

  “Well, I’m not interested in anyone…or church,” she stressed.

  “But church used to be so important to you.”

  “And now it’s not.” She crossed her arms. “At least I’m not going the way
of Mom.”

  He frowned. “You know your mom’s sensitive.”

  “Maybe she wouldn’t be so sensitive if she stopped drinking four bottles of wine a day,” she snapped.

  “I’d rather you didn’t speak about your mother that way.” He sighed. “Look, I don’t want to fight. I just miss you. We all miss you.”

  She forced down her guilt, grabbing again for Brady’s ring around her neck. “Maybe I can clear something in my schedule next week and come over for dinner.”

  “That would be really appreciated,” her father said.

  She stared out the window as they sat in tense silence. When her sister returned, Jesska tried not to yell in celebration. Now her father could turn his worry onto Megan instead of Jesska. The nurse got Megan settled in her bed, gave her another dose of meds, and then went to find out what was going on with Sophia.

  “How are you feeling?” Jesska asked.

  “Worried,” Megan admitted.

  Their father took her hand. “She’ll be fine.”

  Expecting the nurse, Jesska was surprised when a handsome young doctor entered Megan’s room. Tall with dark hair and hazel eyes. He looked more akin to a model than a doctor.

  “I’m Dr. Washington,” he said, and shook everyone’s hand. “I wanted to give you an update on Sophia.”

  Megan sat up a little further. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s great,” he said. “We expected there to be some internal bleeding, which there was, but we were able to get it under control quickly. All of her X-rays and the MRI are clear, so she’s in recovery right now. She has a small incision on her abdomen from our exploration, but I don’t think that will give her much of a problem. We’ll keep her for a couple of days, and then she should be able to go home.”

  “When can I see her?” Megan asked.

  “I can take you now, if you like. We can also put her in here with you when she wakes up.”

  “Yes, that would be great,” Megan said.

  “Can we come, too?” Jesska asked.

  “No, I’m afraid just Mom this time. But you’ll be able to see her in a couple of hours.”